1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for generating information for recording moving picture data, audio data, such as voice with the moving picture data or music, and sub-picture data, such as subtitles, on an information recording medium, such as a multimedia optical disc, on which is recordable the information as a system stream, and a method and an apparatus for making the information recording medium, and an information recording medium storing programs thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional recording method of a still picture, moving picture, or sound on a multimedia optical disc, such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc (or Disk)) is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 10-199215 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 10-108135. In this recording method, first, data of the still picture, moving picture, or sound for recording is encoded in digital based on a method specified in a standard such as MPEG (Motion Pictures Experts Group). Next, the encoded data is multiplexed according to a logical format specified in a standard of multimedia optical disc, such as the DVD, and a group of data, called a system stream, is generated. Then, system stream management information for managing the system stream is generated according to the logical format. Further, global management information for managing the entire disc, including the system stream management information, according to the logical format. Finally, the system stream, the system stream management information, and the global management information are recorded on the multimedia optical disc.
The multimedia optical disc, such as the DVD, can record an enormous amount of information, so that a plurality of video tapes, for example, which are shot at home, can be brought together in one multimedia optical disc using the above-described recording method. The multimedia optical disc can instantly detect a desirable playback portion by the management information even when an enormous amount of information is recorded thereon. Further, the multimedia optical disc has an outstanding advantage as the recording medium of video and audio.
However, according to the conventional recording method, the global management information, management information, and substantive data are recorded in an order specified by the logical format without any space therebetween, so that it is insufficient when making a change to the optical disc which has been already made once, because all information has to be generated again from the beginning.
Further, when source materials, such as VCR data, can not be prepared at once, the optical disc can not be made until all source materials, such as the VCR data, are prepared, because the optical disc can not record more data at a later time once the data is recorded thereon. Therefore, the optical disc can not be made efficiently.
The invention provides an information recording medium of a multimedia optical disc, such as a DVD, capable of increasing an efficiency of making the multimedia optical disc, such as the DVD, recording still picture data, moving picture data, or audio data, such as voice, as a content. The invention also provides a method and an apparatus for making the information recording medium, a method and apparatus for making an information recording medium using the method and the apparatus described above, and an information recording medium storing a program thereof for allowing a computer to execute these methods.
In order to achieve the above, an information recording medium of the invention may be a rewritable information recording medium having a logical structure to manage encoded substantive data representing one of video data or audio data per title, which allocates a recording area thereon for recording the substantive data and records substantive data management information for managing the recording area and the substantive data, and menu management information for managing the substantive data management information. A predetermined number of recording areas are allocated, each recording area has a predetermined size per cell, the menu management information contains information for managing the substantive data management information for a predetermined number of titles, the substantive data management information contains information for the predetermined number of titles, and the substantive data management information for each title contains information for managing the predetermined number of recording areas per cell.
The information recording medium is rewritable. On the information recording medium, the recording area of the encoded substantive data representing one of video data or audio data is allocated, and the substantive data management information for managing the substantive data and the recording area are recorded. Further, the menu management information for managing the substantive data management information is recorded thereon. As a result of recording these information, the recording area and the substantive data, which is recorded in the recording area, can be managed per title. The menu information contains the information for managing the predetermined number of the titles of the substantive data management information. The substantive data management information is contained the predetermined number of the titles. Further, the substantive data management information for each title contains the predetermined number of the information having the predetermined size for managing the recording area by the predetermined cell. Each recording area has the predetermined size per cell and is allocated the predetermined number. Therefore, when the size of the information is within the predetermined size, the additional substantive data is managed title by title based on the selection information even when the additional substantive data is recorded. Consequently, the trouble of generating the menu management information and the substantive data management information again from the beginning can be saved and the efficiency of making the information recording medium recorded the substantive data thereon can be increased.
According to another aspect of the invention, the menu management information and the substantive data management information are prerecorded selection information for selecting the title or the cell under the title thereon regardless of whether the substantive data is recorded in the recording area.
According to the information recording medium, the menu management information is prerecorded the information for selecting the title regardless of whether the substantive data is recorded in the recording area. Further, the substantive data management information is prerecorded the selection information for selecting the cell under the title regardless of whether the substantive data is recorded in the recording area. Therefore, even when the additional substantive data is recorded as described above, the substantive data is managed title by title based on the selection information. Consequently, the trouble of generating the menu management information and the substantive data management information again from the beginning can be saved and the efficiency of making the information recording medium recorded the substantive data thereon can be increased.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, a method for generating information to make the information recording medium by storing or allocating the each information and the recording areas on a storage device other than the information recording medium may include the steps of inputting scenario information for managing the substantive data management information per title and information of size and the number of the recording areas of the substantive data which is managed per cell; allocating a recording area for recording the number of the titles of information, which manages the substantive data, as a recording area of menu management information, on the storage device, based on the number of the titles included in structure information of the title in the scenario information; allocating a recording area for recording the number of the cells of information, which manages the recording areas of the substantive data, as a recording area of the substantive data management information, on the storage device, based on the number of the cells of the information included in the structure information of the title; allocating a recording area of the substantive data based on the size and the number of the substantive data and the number of the cells; recording the information for managing the substantive data management information in the recording area of the menu management information after allocating the recording area of the substantive data management information; and recording the information for managing the recording area of the substantive data in the recording area of the substantive data management information after allocating the recording area of the substantive data.
According to the information generating method for making the information recording medium, by storing or allocating the each information and the recording area on the storage device other than the information recording medium, the scenario information for managing the substantive data management information per title, the size and the number of the recording area of the substantive data managed by the cell are input when the information for making the information recording medium. Next, the recording area for recording the number of the titles of the information for managing the substantive data management information is allocated on the storage device as the recording area of the menu management information, based on the number of the titles included in the structure information of the title in the scenario information. Next, the recording area for recording the number of the cells of information, which manages the recording areas of the substantive data is allocated on the storage device as a recording area of the substantive data management information, based on the number of the cells of the information included in the structure information of the title. Next, the recording area of the substantive data is allocated based on the size and the number of the substantive data and the number of the cells. After allocating the recording area of the substantive data management information, the information for managing the substantive data management information is recorded in the recording area of the menu management information. Then, after allocating the recording area of the substantive data, the information for managing the recording area of the substantive data is recorded in the recording area of the substantive data management information. Therefore, an information recording condition that is the same as the information recording medium can be made on the storage device, so that additional information can be recorded regardless of the type of information.
According to another aspect of the invention, the information for managing the substantive data management information or the information for managing the recording area of the substantive data in the recording areas contains the selection information for selecting the title or the cell under the title. Therefore, even when additional substantive data is recorded as described above, the substantive data is managed title by title based on the selection information. Consequently, the trouble of generating the menu management information and the substantive data management information again from the beginning can be saved and the efficiency of making the information recording medium having recorded the substantive data thereon, can be increased.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, a method for making the information recording medium based on the each stored information by storing or allocating the information and the recording areas on the storage device other than the information recording medium may include the steps of outputting the information generated on the storage device by the information generating method; converting the output information to a predetermined recording format; and recording the information on the information recording medium by modulating a light beam based on the converted information.
According to this making method, by adding the substantive data in the recording area which is allocated by the aforementioned information generating method, an information recording condition that is the same as the information recording medium can be made on the storage device. Further, the information is recorded on the information recording medium by modulating the light beam based on the converted information, so that an additional information can be recorded regardless of the types of the information recording medium.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, a method for making an information recording medium recording video data or audio data thereon using the information recording medium may include the steps of preparing a plurality of kinds of information recording mediums having the logical structure, each kind of information recording medium being different in at least one of the number of the information, which any one of the number of the titles, the number of the cells per title, the number of hierarchies of the cell, and a pattern of the hierarchy; selecting one information recording medium having a logical structure which is suitable for a correlation among a plurality of the substantive data to be recorded from the various types of the information recording mediums; encoding the substantive data to be recorded; reading contents of the menu management information and substantive data management information from the selected information making medium; and recording the encoded substantive data in the recording area of the substantive data based on the read contents.
According to the making method, the information recording medium has the logical structure and the recording area which is allocated so as to be managed per title, and is prepared for the amount of information which any one of the number of the titles, the number of the cells per title, the number of hierarchies of the cell, and a pattern of the hierarchy, is different. Next, from the various types of the information recording medium, one information recording medium having a logical structure which is suitable for a correlation among a plurality of the substantive data to be recorded, is selected. Then, the substantive data to be recorded is encoded and the contents of the menu management information and substantive data management information are read from the selected information making medium. After that, the encoded substantive data is recorded in the recording area of the substantive data based on the read contents. Therefore, even when recording an author""s VCR data, the management information does not need to be newly generated again, so that the information recording medium having the menu structure which is suitable for the VCR data can be efficiently made.